24 July 2007

I'm a dangerous man. Mostly, I am dangerous to myself. I was at Karate yesterday and working with a partner on some grappling drills. As instructed, my partner (a pediatrician, of all things) took me to the ground, hard. I was quite ready to go down, and as I slammed to the mat, face first, I put a hand down, to break the fall. Unfortunately, I was going to ground so fast that I was not able to get my hand out of the way before my torso crashed down on top of it. The right side of my chest landed with my full weight on top of my closed fist.

I am pretty sure that I have one or maybe two fractured ribs ($239 each, right?) and every time I breathe, cough, or sneeze, I get a new education in the meaning of pain.

Also, somewhat later, I managed to smack myself in the head with my nitan bo. Sheesh. I really shouldn't be allowed outside the house unsupervised....

i once saw someone put his hand down to break a fall when he was thrown in taekwondo... not only did he break his fall, he also broke his wrist. oddly, in my five years of taekwondo, i never got anything worse than a sore nose. it wasn't until i started playing the non-contact sport of ultimate that i started getting hurt.

Ironically, the same day you did this, my father-in-law (a semi-retired orthopedic surgeon) fell off a mule in the high sierras of yosemite and broke and displaced four ribs. Though he finished off the day he had to be choppered out the next morning (to the delight of a visiting film crew - oh the mortification). From his apparent pain, I must say that rib injuries must be agonizing. Good luck feeling better asap :).

Shadowfax

About me: I am an ER physician and administrator living in the Pacific Northwest. I live with my wife and four kids. Various other interests include Shorin-ryu karate, general aviation, Irish music, Apple computers, and progressive politics. My kids do their best to ensure that I have little time to pursue these hobbies.

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